My Cumbrian GP friend, who has featured in this column before, published a study of obstetric deliveries taking place outside specialist units in 1996.1 The care provided was, of course, the responsibility of midwives. However, there was a finding that never made it into print. Planning and having a successful out-of-hospital delivery depended in some vague way on the support of the GPs. I was reminded of this by the two papers published this month on place of death. The study from Belgium found a link between GPs' knowledge of patients' preference, and such preferences being fulfilled (page 665). The authors concluded that knowing their patients' preference would encourage GPs to make an active contribution. That idea gains support from the study from Denmark, which found a strong association between the GPs making home visits and the likelihood of dying at home (page 671). As …